President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the Armed Forces of the Philippines Testimonial Parade and Review at the Grandstand of the AFP General Headquarters, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) –Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s election protest versus Vice President Leni Robredo has fallen on the lap of a classmate of former President Noynoy Aquino and a former member of Aquino’s official family, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa.
The case, filed on Wednesday by Marcos with the high court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), was raffled to the most junior magistrate.
Caguioa and Aquino were classmates at the Ateneo de Manila University from grade school to college.
Aquino appointed Caguioa as his Chief Presidential Counsel in 2013 and as his Justice Secretary in October 2015. After his stint at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Caguioa was appointed by Aquino to the SC on January 22, 2016.
However, Caguioa was also a classmate of Marcos’ wife, Atty. Liza Araneta-Marcos, in law school.
In Marcos’ 1,000-page protest, he alleged massive fraud in the recent vice-presidential contest and urged the high court to order a revision of votes and an election systems audit, among others.
He alleged that a major portion of Robredo’s votes were obtained via electoral fraud and irregularities.
Marcos is seeking the nullification of election results in the provinces of Basilan, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur, alleging that ballots there were “pre-shaded.”
His camp claims a total of 39,221 precincts were marred by fraud where votes, once recounted, would overtake Robredo’s 263,000 lead.
Attached to Marco’s protest are 20,000 pages of documentary evidence.
The SC is set to tackle the protest during its regular en banc session on Tuesday.
The high court is expected to designate a hearing officer for the case anytime soon. (MNS)